


A Bouquet Needs...

by riawrote



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 03:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1000207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riawrote/pseuds/riawrote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiemi invites Yukio to the garden to help her make a bouquet for Shura, who’s hospitalized thanks to rough training. Yukio provides insight on her personality as she works to make something well-suited. The situation dregs up some things Yukio’s been too reserved to say, but Shiemi might have a surprising reply.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bouquet Needs...

 Yukio arrived at the Exorcist shop a little short of breath. The feeling brought back memories of that long past time when his health was always in question. But it couldn’t be helped. He had awoken to Shiemi’s familiar cooing near his ear with a note in hand. It was her asking him to come to the shop as soon as possible.

He’d jumped up immediately, hand at gun and key, nearly waking Rin with the bunk’s movement as his initial thoughts crawled toward ‘Danger’. Once the clarity of full awareness set in, he reprimanded himself and tried to quiet the panic. If she’d really been in danger, the Greenman would certainly have been more frantic. As of now, it was dancing around happily while it waited.

Yukio’s next feeling had been excitement. It was unusual for them to meet outside of business or school, and unheard of for either of them to invite the other. He hadn’t ordered anything recently, so this call could only be a personal one. The younger twin moved to wash his face and proceeded to dress as quickly as he could. As level headed and calm as he worked to be, it was difficult to push aside the thrum of hope in his chest. He had nodded to the familiar and followed it, which brought him back to the present.

“Yuki-chan!”

Shiemi looked surprised to see him. It _was_ extremely early in the morning, and she had expected Nii-chan to reach him a little later. She hadn’t finished the morning gardening made obvious by the tools strewn across the place and dirt along her person. Her surprise gave way to a smile, followed by her usual look of determination when she was resolute about accomplishing something. Nii-chan joined his summoner on the shoulder instead, eating the now unnecessary note.

“Come in, come in!” she said, “Thank you for coming. I really need your help!”

The Exorcist let his hand fall into hers and followed her hurried pace over towards the center of the garden, face without mask and fully confused. “Sh-Shiemi-san, what is going on?” The unusual physical contact had him nearly flushing.

She stopped a moment, looking bashful after noting she hadn’t quite explained herself properly. Still, it was reasonable considering the reluctance he was apt to show once she mentioned why she called on him. “It’s about Shura-san.”

Ah. Shura and Rin had been training pretty roughly that week, and both had injured themselves beyond moving a few days ago. With Rin's biology, he was already up and moving. Shura on the other hands still had a few days left in bed rest, and that was if she didn't try to sneak off as he expected. Finding out the housecall wasn't so personal caused Yukio's mood to deflate and he frowned. Shiemi read his frown as confusion and she went on to explain.

“You see...I want to make a bouquet for her. She's been very good to us. Yuki-chan knows her very well, right? So I thought you could help me pick out the best flowers.”

She spoke quickly and nervously, as though expecting to hear him reprimand her and decline. But the trust and expectation in her gaze would have made refusal impossible, if he had been planning to. Yukio too wanted to do something for Shura, now that the idea had been planted. He let out a small breath and smiled at her.

“I'd be happy to help.”

* * *

He had agreed, but flowers weren't exactly Yukio's thing. Sure, flowers and herbs were useful to him in his art, but arranging them...He had never tried.

“Shiemi-san, I don't know if I'll really be of much help here. Arrangement isn't something I have experience with.”

Yukio was kneeling with Shiemi in the midst of the garden, watching her tend to the arrangement she had begun before he had arrived. Gently, she made a clean cut to the stems and placed the trimed flowers in a vase of water to await the bouquet wrapping. She lifted her eyes to his as she scattered the clippings to the ground to return them to the earth.

Shiemi smiled softly in that angelic way of hers and said, “A bouquet needs more than a pretty arrangement, Yuki-chan! Did you know that each and every flower has its very own meaning?”

She gestured to an assortment of flowers around them: Edelweiss, Gardenia, Amaranth, Hibiscus. All were among those he was familiar with for their alchemic properties. As she pointed, she offered up their meanings.

“'Courage', 'a secret love', 'unfading', 'gentleness'... The colors and shape of each flower aren't meant only to please the eyes, but are also a way of communicating. You know, flowers are just as diverse and temperamental as people, Yuki-chan.” She clasped her hands and interlocked her fingers as she went on. “The dialect and meanings can even change depending on where you are, so it's important to know all you can about the person and who they are when you chose to pass one on.”

A light blush colored her cheeks as she finished speaking, obviously a little embarrassed about going on so much. “I'm sorry for rambling.”

“No, I think it's amazing you know so much.”

“M-my grandmother, she's the one who taught me so...” Shiemi looked down to the vase, unused to compliments from her serious friend.

Yukio worried a little, after all, it was speaking with a flower that had gotten her into trouble some time ago. Then, Rin had-... he didn't want to think of his elder brother now. Especially not when the other boy seemed to have so much of her time lately. For now, at least, this moment was his, and Yukio wanted to spend it as closely as he could.

So he asked after each flower in the vase as well as the ones around them. Shiemi took her time explaining a bit about them, and they even shared some words over the popular floral poems she had read. Eventually, it was time to get to the point, and he recalled a few tales of his experiences with Shura.

When his expression shifted from calm to broody, and then annoyed, Shiemi had to laugh. He was normally so calm, (and occasionally a little scary), so seeing his expression change so much was both funny, and spoke on his relationship with Shura. If she were honest, it made her a little sad that this was the first time they had spoken so much outside of business. Yukio was someone she respected and cared about- for a long time he was her only friend- and were it not for him and Rin, she might still be immobile, or worse. More than sad, though, she was happy to have the chance to spend time with him on a gift for someone they both cared for, even if he did take special care in speaking on all of Shura's faults.

“Shura-san really is amazing,” she said after he'd let her in on another story from their childhood. “She's brave and strong, and you think well of her.”

Yukio frowned a bit, wanting to interject, but Shiemi continued.

“I hope I can become friends with her someday...”

Shiemi took the vase now full of flowers, and handed it to him while she scattered the last of the unused parts onto the ground. Mindful of her bare feet, she stood up and gathered up the tools that were ready to be put away.

“Thank you, Yuki-chan. Today I'll be touching them up to make sure they last awhile, and tomorrow morning I'll deliver them...if you would like to come?”

Once was unusual, and now he had been invited out by Shiemi twice. Not one to pass up the opportunity, and although he had visited Shura earlier that week for scolding, he quickly agreed. When the tools were put away, she took the vase for him and walked away, asking him to await her return in the shop. Although he did need to return to the campus to begin his duties, there still seemed to be time, so he visited with Shiemi's mother at the counter.

When Shiemi returned, she held a small pot in both hands. She offered it up to him and he cocked his head questioningly.

“This is for Rin! I know he should be well by now, but I hope it reminds him to take it a little easier.”

Two pansies and an iris framed each other within the pot. Yukio nodded an accepted it with both hands, thanking her in Rin's place.

“Ah, one more! For you. I appreciate your help as always, Yuki-chan.”

With her hands emptied, she hurried outside to pick the second one off the ground, this time full of pink roses encircled by gardenia blossoms, with a red camellia in the center. Shiemi's mother called out to them and offered to find them a carrying case for the pots while Yukio stood a bit agape at the offering. After what he'd been taught today...he wondered how to take it. Shiemi smiled at him, more embarrassed than usual, and bowed before hurrying back to Shura's project.

Her mother had returned with the case, clicking her tongue at Shiemi for not seeing him off. Yukio wasn't worried about that, and let her know everything was fine.

And it really was.

**Author's Note:**

> Hanakotoba/Victorian Flower Meaning References:  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanakotoba  
> http://meeyauw.blogspot.com/2010/11/hanakotoba-victorians.html?m=1
> 
> I'm really fond of this pairing, because Yukio's just too cute when you see those hints at him pining for Shiemi. When it comes to language preservation, I prefer to use honorifics in my works since they tend to play a big part in relating the closeness of the characters or are part of nicknames, so I hope no one minds much. Oh, I picked this back up after a lengthy writing hiatus, so my writing feels a bit stiff lol. Crit is welcome!


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